Somalia is much in the headlines these days. There is the big weekend news of a Navy Seal operation that was in response to the horrific terrorist attack on a Kenyan mall several weeks ago. Additionally, the 20th anniversary of Black Hawk Down has triggered media remembrances and new details of that searing event. Then there is…Continue Reading…
Depending on who you talk to, Michele Ballarin, a North Virginia businesswoman, is a ruthless mercenary, a covert operative, or a grandiose but well-intentioned humanitarian. In my profile of her for this week’s Washington Post magazine, I uncovered evidence for all of these persons. She juggles these guises on a daily basis. One morning Ballarin will be on the…Continue Reading…
The woman who I profile in this Sunday’s Washington Post magazine enjoyed a brief flurry of media attention in late 2008. Several news outlets reported that Somalia pirates had turned to Michele Ballarin, a North Virginia businesswoman, to help negotiate the release of two ships that had been seized off the coast of Somalia. How…Continue Reading…
A story that I have been working on for some time is being published this Sunday in the Washington Post magazine. “The Princess of Somalia” is a long feature with a great photo spread. If you live in the Beltway area, be sure to have a look. The piece, which is unlike anything I have…Continue Reading…
If you thought that the U.S. government shutdown was the top story at the Wall Street Journal today (print edition), you would be wrong. Instead, this headline took the honor: U.S. Rises to No. 1 Energy Producer Whoa. This wasn’t supposed to happen until 2017, according to recent projections by the International Energy Agency. But some…Continue Reading…